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In my #GentleDiscipline book I talk about the problem of a #naturedeficit and how spending less time in nature is negatively affecting our children, both physically (their eyesight is getting worse as a result) and emotionally (more difficult behaviour). Children today are far more likely to be able to identify corporate logos, than they are tree and wildflower species. Nature words are disappearing from their vocabulary at an alarming rate as they spend far much more time indoors, in play centres and in front of screens. Simply, our kids need to get outside more - and so do we. Especially if we want to protect what little nature is left on our planet. We need to raise kids who treasure it! . Forests played a huge role in my own upbringing, one of my favourite possessions was my tree spotting book - I can still name almost every species of tree, just by looking at its leaves, or bark. If I didn’t write books, my dream job is to work as a gardener. Forests make me feel calm and revitalise me more than any other landscape (and I spent the first five years of my life growing up on the coast). They have played a large role in my kids’ lives too - we make full use of our @nationaltrust passes and are lucky to live close to a beautiful large ancient, protected forest and we’ve been on many @forestholidays as a family. We were lucky that their school run weekly forest school sessions too (though the need for forest school makes me feel sad). . Children today need to climb more trees, have more conker fights, play with sycamore aeroplanes, make fairy tea parties with acorn cups, gather more blackberries and eat them straight from the bush, make more daisy chains and leaf prints, dissect owl pellets, play in mud, collect forest treasures and breathe more fresh air. This little book has lots of great ideas if spending time in forests isn’t second nature to you - or your kids. . . . #foresttherapy #forestschool #naturekids #wildkids #naturematters #wildings #wildthings #hugatree #gentleparenting #naturalparentingSo much truth in this. It doesn’t matter what brand of clothes your kids are wearing, when they slept through the night, when they potty trained, when they start reading, how many words they know, what you do today and how many tantrums they have. What matters is that they are loved and accepted for who they are.....and that means starting with accepting yourself and all that you offer to them. Forget the superficial stuff and focus on the love 💕💕 . . . #gentleparenting #gentlediscipline #gentlesleep #positiveparenting #attachmentparenting #naturalparenting #bedsharing #cosleeping #unconditionalparenting #mindfulparenting #mindfulmotherhood #toddlercalm #babycalm #sarahockwellsmith #parentingtipsI came across a tweet by @neildegrassetyson this week, saying “Scientists are simply adults who retained and nurtured their native curiosity from childhood” and it reminded me of this picture of my daughter when she was a toddler. She had found a bottle of sun cream (a baby one, so that thick, sticky greasy white stuff) and tipped the whole lot out over herself and my rug. . My first instinct was to yell, angry that she’d wasted a whole bottle of expensive cream and ruined my rug too. Then I paused, she hadn’t been deliberately naughty. She was experimenting, being naturally curious about the properties of the cream and how she could manipulate it. She was actually being pretty darn clever. There was no malice or manipulation behind her actions, just curiosity. Now, 9 years on, she’s a fantastic scientist and still as curious as ever. . I could have shouted and chastised her on this day, but instead I decided to see the good in what she’d done. I snapped the picture for posterity, held my tongue while I spent *hours* cleaning her, her dress and the rug and learned that I needed to be cleverer about where I kept the sun cream in future 😉 . . . #gentlediscipline #gentleparenting #positiveparenting #positivediscipline #attachmentparenting #naturalparenting #mindfulparenting #mindfulmothering #toddlercalm #sarahockwellsmithWishing you all the strength you need to get through this week 😘 . . . #monslay #mondaymotivation #gentleparenting #attachmentparenting #positiveparenting #mindfulparenting #mindfulmotherhood #mindfulmothering #parentinginspirationTop Posts & Pages
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Tag Archives: gina ford
Self Settling – What Really Happens When You Teach a Baby to Self Soothe to Sleep
So many, parents and experts alike, advocate the idea of “teaching a baby to self settle” or “self soothe”. Self soothing is often referred to as the holy grail of baby sleep, once babies can self soothe, parents are told to expect … Continue reading →
Posted in Babies, Preschoolers, Toddlers
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Tagged amygdala controlled crying, cio, gentle sleep training, gina ford, hippocampus controlled crying, maternal nurturing, pick up put down, self settling, self settling myth, self soothing, self soothing myth, sleep training, teach baby to self settle, teach baby to self soothe, the baby whisperer
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116 Comments
I Can Get any Baby Sleeping Through the Night in One Week
WARNING – THE START OF THIS POST IS FICTITIOUS I DO NOT REALLY RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING – PLEASE READ TO THE END! I am 99% certain I can get any baby, even a tiny 8 week old ‘sleeping through’ 7pm … Continue reading →
Posted in Babies
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Tagged baby expert UK, baby sleep, baby sleep expert, baby sleep trainer, baby sleep training, baby whisperer, cio, contented little baby sleep, controlled comforting, controlled crying, controlled soothing, cry it out, gina ford, parenting expert UK, pick up put down, spaced soothing
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44 Comments
Why do the Media Happily Promote Dangerous Baby Trainers?
This is a question I have asked myself many times. There seems to be a great bias for the media, be that television, radio, magazines or newspapers, to promote baby trainers who mostly all use harsh, antiquated behaviourist methods of … Continue reading →
Posted in Babies
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Tagged baby sleep training, baby training, baby won't sleep, bed-sharing, bedtime live, channel 4 sleep, co-sleeping, controlled crying, Daily Mail, gina ford, independent, normal baby sleep, rachel waddilove, sleep programme, sleep solutions, sleep through the night, supernanny, toddler tantrum
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23 Comments
An Open Letter to Gina Ford – Author of The Contented Little Baby Book
Dear Gina, I was interested to learn of your latest book “The Contented Mother’s Guide” (via this Daily Mail article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2110738/Don-t-say-sex-ready-childcare-guru-Gina-Ford-tells-new-mothers.html). I haven’t read your book yet so am only commenting on what appears to be the press releases sent out … Continue reading →
Posted in Babies, Mothering
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Tagged attachment parenting expert, baby expert, baby feeding routine, baby sleep through the night, baby sleep training, birth trauma, cio, contented little baby, controlled crying, cry it out, Daily Mail, dream feed, gina babies, gina ford, gina ford book, gina ford feeding, gina ford routine, gina ford sleep, gina ford weaning, new baby routine, newborn routine, parenting expert, pnd, postnatal depression, postnatal recovery, Sarah Ockwell-Smith, sleep training, uk baby expert, uk parenting expert
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67 Comments
Parenting Woes – Whose Problem Is It Really?
This post has been whirling around my head for more than a year now and I have debated whether it should stay there many a time, why? Because I know this post is going to be contentious, I can only … Continue reading →
Posted in Babies, Mothering, Toddlers
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Tagged attachment parenting expert, baby sleep, baby sleep expert, controlled crying, cry it out, ezzo, gina ford, naughty steps, picky eating, potty training, reward chart, Sarah Ockwell-Smith, separation anxiety, sleep training, sleeping through the night, sticker chart, supernanny, time out, tizzie hall, toddler expert, toddler sleep, toddler taming, toddler tantrum, uk baby expert, uk parenting expert, weaning
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59 Comments
Why Does Society Turn a Blind Eye to Some Forms of Child Abuse?
I woke to THIS ARTICLE this morning, naturally it was published by the Daily Mail. I later watched a feature on ‘This Morning’ interviewing the father. It later transpires the Martin Daubney, the author (and father) in this piece has … Continue reading →
Posted in Preschoolers, Toddlers
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Tagged attachment parenting expert, baby sleep expert, child abuse, Daily Mail, egocentrism, gina ford, lock child in room, martin daubney, phillip schofield, punishing naughty children, Sarah Ockwell-Smith, shut child in bedroom, supernanny, this morning, time out, tizzie hall, toddler brain development, toddler expert, toddler psychology, toddler shut in room, toddler taming, uk baby expert, uk parenting expert
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55 Comments
The Fourth Trimester – AKA Why Your Newborn Baby is Only Happy in Your Arms
“My baby is only happy in my arms, the minute I put her down she cries” “He sleeps really well but only when he’s laying on my chest, he hates his moses basket” “She cries every time we lay her … Continue reading →
Posted in Babies, Mothering
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Tagged 4th trimester, attachment parenting expert, baby cries when put down, baby sleep expert, baby sling, baby whisperer, baby won't sleep, baby won't stop crying, babycalming, controlled crying, fourth trimester, gina ford, gripe water, happiest baby on the block, harvey karp, how to calm a crying baby, how to make baby sleep through the night, how to soothe a baby, infacol, moby wrap, newborn, newborn colic, Sarah Ockwell-Smith, the 4th trimester, the fourth trimester, toddler expert, uk baby expert, uk parenting expert
What I Would Tell My First Time Self as a Fourth Time Mum
I’ve been thinking about this lots this week, but particularly today as it was around this day, 10yrs ago I conceived my first baby and 10yrs to me feels like a bit of a milestone so I’ve been doing much … Continue reading →
Posted in Mothering
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Tagged Baby-led weaning, breastfeeding, controlled crying, Daily Mail, gina ford, mothering, new mother, newborn, parenting advice, the baby whisperer
